The Final Chapter

The final chapter in the story of a lost pigeon named Lew in New York City...

The Final Chapter

Two years of writing, 45 chapters, 45,000 words…

It’s the end of an era.

I love this story so much — the story of a lost pigeon named Lew in New York City.

Firstly, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who has followed this project and to everyone who has shown support. You have been an incredible motivation for me to keep chipping away at this story and I’m so happy with how it has turned out.

Truly, thank you.

I hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Here’s a link to where it all started:

As always, the full series can be found here:

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Now, without further ado, the final chapter…

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All together, we tried and tried to shove the window open. But it was totally jammed.

I felt the pigeon panic in me wanting to come out.

We tried the window on the other side too, but it was already clicked shut.

Francois was scanning the crane cockpit for some kind of way out. It was dark and hard to see. We were like four tiny bumblebees trapped in an unpoppable bubble.

I could see Francois scrambling for an idea, but there just wasn’t any idea for him to have. He was going to need to change tact. We weren’t getting out of there. But there wasn’t anywhere to hide either. The cockpit was small and open. There was the orange vest on the seat but that was just about it.

“I’ve got an idea,” he said finally.

***

A few tense minutes came and went. We settled into our new hiding spot.

Suddenly, there was a tapping sound on the glass of the slightly ajar window. It sounded like a claw. Maybe even a talon…

We couldn’t see anything from where we were hiding. All we had was sound.

There was a long nasty squeak as the crane window was pushed open. Whoever it was, they were inside now.

Then we heard a very familiar voice. “The game is over, Francois…”

It was Howell.

He must have been eyeing off the orange vest. After all, where else could we be? A few blind tense moments passed and then Howell suddenly started shouting angrily at another bird in the crane.

“You said they were here! You said you were certain!”

It must have been the blue jay that he was shouting at.

Howell must have just checked the orange vest… except that wasn’t where we were hiding anymore. Instead, we were locked in the glovebox.

Locked in the dark, we waited silently as the yelling continued until Howell and the blue jay left the crane.

We waited a while longer before breaking the silence, just in case.

Crisis averted…

There was one downside to Francois’ plan: we were locked in.

We would have to spend the night in the pitch dark of the glovebox. In a way, though, it suited us just fine. We were trapped, but we were safe. No one was getting to us. We didn’t need any of us to stay up on look out. We were able to all just sleep in peace.

We dozed off in a huddle together in the dark, like a family of birds together in their nest, keeping close to keep warm. We all slept well that night.

***

Francois was confident that getting out of the glovebox in the morning would go smoothly. He knew the human who worked in the crane and he assured us that he was a gentle one and would let us leave without trouble.

Morning came and the day began to warm up. We heard the movement of someone big getting into the crane. Francois tapped the glovebox with his beak and it soon opened.

Clustered together, we looked up at the human who opened the glovebox and hit him with the cutest look we could manage. The big human smiled and we were able to shuffle out and set off. I guess not all humans hate us.

***

We eventually landed on a rooftop to talk things over. It was time to work out what to do next.

“We need to get out of this city,” said Francois.

“You and Ruby can’t fly long distances in your condition,” said Joan. “Not until you heal up.”

There was bickering back and forth between them all. Then it dawned on me.

“I know a way,” I said, immediately getting their attention. “A few days ago, I went to the beach and I met a seagull who said he knew the cruise ship routes. For a price, he can help us. He can get us onto a cruise ship that will take us far away from Howell.”

They all thought the idea over.

“But where will we go?” Ruby asked.

“Does it matter?” said Joan. “So long as it’s far away from here. We can work out the rest later.”

“Are you all absolutely certain?” Francois asked.

“I’ve spent my whole life in this city,” said Ruby. “It’s time for me to see what else is out there.”

Joan nodded.

“I’ve been playing the games of this city for too long,” she said.

“What about you, Lew?” Francois asked.

“I go where you guys go,” I said. “Hopefully, that’s away from this city.”

We left a moment for silence for anyone to raise disagreements or new ideas. No one said a word. It was settled.

We left the rooftop and, for the first time, I was the one leading the way. We flew to the beach and then to the end of the docks where the seagull had told me I would be able to find him.

Sure enough, there he was.

“Hello again,” he said with a smile.

We talked things over and told him we wanted to go somewhere far away from the city. He thought about it for a moment and then an idea hit him.

“And you want to leave as soon as possible?” he asked.

“Yes, as soon as possible,” Francois confirmed.

The seagull looked up at the sun briefly to gauge the time.

“I know just the ship for you,” he said. “This way.”

The seagull took off and we all followed after him.

We flew out over the water towards the horizon. Eventually, I saw a big cruise ship in the distance.

“Where’s it going?” Joan asked.

The seagull smiled. “Somewhere nice.”

The seagull then led us to a quiet little landing on the cruise ship. It was time to pay him. We looked over what we had left from the jewellery store. I had nothing and Joan only had a couple of necklaces.

She handed it all over. “Just take it.”

With that, the happy seagull headed back to the city.

Our little spot on the cruise ship was peaceful.

Together we looked at the city one last time.

Next stop, who knows?

The End